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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · rest · bark · perch · bulb · kid · lean · saw

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — for light
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. lean — to bend
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — a break
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — thin
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rest — what's left
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. snap — to click
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com